Sheets

by Brenna Thummler

Overview

2018 Barnes & Noble Best Book
2021 Amazon Teacher's Pick

"For days after reading Brenna Thummler's Sheets I have been wandering my neighborhood, haunted, enchanted, and in need of freshly pressed clothing." —Lemony Snicket

A story of ghosts, family, loneliness, and laundromats.

Marjorie Glatt feels like a ghost. A practical thirteen-year-old in charge of the family laundry business, her daily routine features unforgiving customers, unbearable P.E. classes, and the fastidious Mr. Saubertuck who is committed to destroying everything she’s worked for. Wendell is a ghost. A boy who lost his life much too young, his daily routine features ineffective death therapy, a sheet-dependent identity, and a dangerous need to seek purpose in the forbidden human world. When their worlds collide, Marjorie is confronted by unexplainable disasters as Wendell transforms Glatt’s Laundry into his midnight playground, appearing as a mere sheet during the day. While Wendell attempts to create a new afterlife for himself, he unknowingly sabotages the life that Marjorie is struggling to maintain.

Sheets illustrates the determination of a young girl to fight, even when all parts of her world seem to be conspiring against her. It proves that second chances are possible whether life feels over or life is over. But above all, it is a story of the forgiveness and unlikely friendship that can only transpire inside a haunted laundromat.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941302675
Publisher:	Oni Press
Publication date:	08/28/2018
Series:	Sheets , #1
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	44,609
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Brenna Thummler has always known her life is haunted. Much like Marjorie Glatt, she grew up in a small Pennsylvania town, where piano practice and ghost stories were part of her daily routine. It wasn’t until she attended Ringling College of Art and Design, however, that she realized her passion for storytelling (as well as her hatred of laundry). Now back in her hometown, she spends her days drawing, writing, and suspicious of her sheets.

Editorial Reviews

08/13/2018
Marjorie Glatt, 13, pulls triple duty in her life. She navigates the cliques and challenges of school, takes care of her brother and deeply depressed father, and runs Glatt’s Laundry, her deceased mother’s business. But her balancing act wavers thanks to two arrivals: Mr. Saubertuck, who is scheming to acquire the laundry’s building for his new spa, and Wendell, a ghost clad in traditional white sheets. Wendell seeks friendship, but he fouls up Marjorie’s work each night, making difficult customers even more unbearable and perhaps necessitating the sale to Saubertuck. To make things right with Marjorie, Wendell may need to reveal himself and the ways of ghosts, which could land him in deeper trouble. With washed-out coloring, many wordless panel sequences of Marjorie alone, and simply drawn facial expressions, the artwork effectively illustrates Marjorie’s sense of isolation. Thummler’s debut graphic novel tempers references to Marjorie’s adult-size responsibilities with a lighter splash of the supernatural to create a smart story about friendship and grit. Ages 9–12. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Brenna Thummler's first solo work for young readers, Sheets, is a subtle, gentle work that expresses empathy and warmth even while depicting life's more painful experiences. Sheets shows the versatility of the graphic novel medium as Thummler uses color palette and the shape, size and solidity of panels to evoke emotions both pleasant and upsetting."

Shelf Awareness

"For days after reading Brenna Thummler's SHEETS, I have been wandering my neighborhood, haunted, enchanted, and in need of freshly pressed clothing."

Lemony Snicket

"Brenna Thummler's first original graphic novel is a reason to celebrate."

Brian Selznick

"Sweet, sad, funny, warm, and beautiful. If I can be forgiven for using this word, this is one that will haunt me, in the best way."

Dana Simpson

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL — Gr 6 Up-Struggling to cope after the death of her mother, Marjorie has to look after her father, who has depression, and her little brother; attend high school; and run the family laundromat business, where they all live and work. At school, other classmates bully her, and a pushy man is eager to take over the laundromat. And as if this isn't enough, young Wendell, a ghost who is unhappy being dead and surrounded by other spirits, haunts Marjorie and her business. The characters are distinct,
and the villain is delightfully vile and self-absorbed. The ghosts, who must wear sheets to be visible, are every bit as sympathetic as the humans. The artwork is charming, and the backgrounds are lovingly detailed, with amusing and often punny elements. The contrast between Marjorie's warm, candy-colored world and Wendell's stark, monochrome Land of Ghosts adds life (and death) and dimension to the story. Panels vary in size, which enriches the narrative.
VERDICT This heartfelt, lingering tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness will captivate children and adults alike, especially those who have experienced loss.-Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT

Brian Selznick — Brenna Thummler's first original graphic novel is a reason to celebrate. She announced herself as an artist to reckon with when she illustrated Mariah Marsden's adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. Now she's illustrated her own story of ghosts and family, loneliness and laundromats. I'm sure you'll be captivated, and as eager as I am to see what comes next!

Dana Simpson (Phoebe and Her Unicorn) — Sweet, sad, funny, warm, and beautiful. If I can be forgiven for using this word, this is one that will haunt me, in the best way.

LEMONY SNICKET

— For days after reading Brenna
Thummler's SHEETS, I have been wandering my neighborhood, haunted, enchanted,
and in need of freshly pressed clothing.

SHELF-AWARENESS — Brenna Thummler's first solo work for young readers, Sheets, is a subtle, gentle work that expresses empathy and warmth even while depicting life's more painful experiences. Sheets shows the versatility of the graphic novel medium as Thummler uses color palette and the shape, size and solidity of panels to evoke emotions both pleasant and upsetting.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY — Marjorie Glatt, 13, pulls triple duty in her life. She navigates the cliques and challenges of school, takes care of her brother and deeply depressed father, and runs Glatt's Laundry, her deceased mother's business. But her balancing act wavers thanks to two arrivals:
Mr. Saubertuck, who is scheming to acquire the laundry's building for his new spa, and Wendell, a ghost clad in traditional white sheets. Wendell seeks friendship, but he fouls up Marjorie's work each night, making difficult customers even more unbearable and perhaps necessitating the sale to Saubertuck.
To make things right with Marjorie, Wendell may need to reveal himself and the ways of ghosts, which could land him in deeper trouble. With washed-out coloring, many wordless panel sequences of Marjorie alone, and simply drawn facial expressions, the artwork effectively illustrates Marjorie's sense of isolation. Thummler's debut graphic novel tempers references to Marjorie's adult-size responsibilities with a lighter splash of the supernatural to create a smart story about friendship and grit. Ages 9-12.

From the Publisher

05/01/2018
Gr 6 Up—Struggling to cope after the death of her mother, Marjorie has to look after her father, who has depression, and her little brother; attend high school; and run the family laundromat business, where they all live and work. At school, other classmates bully her, and a pushy man is eager to take over the laundromat. And as if this isn't enough, young Wendell, a ghost who is unhappy being dead and surrounded by other spirits, haunts Marjorie and her business. The characters are distinct, and the villain is delightfully vile and self-absorbed. The ghosts, who must wear sheets to be visible, are every bit as sympathetic as the humans. The artwork is charming, and the backgrounds are lovingly detailed, with amusing and often punny elements. The contrast between Marjorie's warm, candy-colored world and Wendell's stark, monochrome Land of Ghosts adds life (and death) and dimension to the story. Panels vary in size, which enriches the narrative. VERDICT This heartfelt, lingering tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness will captivate children and adults alike, especially those who have experienced loss.—Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT

School Library Journal